A few days ago I saw Persepolis, an animated film based on a graphic novel (or rather memoir) by a woman who grew up in Iran during the revolution. It's a fine piece of work, though I wouldn't recommend it if you need a few extra drops of sunshine in your life.
One thing that struck me was the hypermodest attire inflicted on the women of Iran by the inevitably tyrannical "revolutionary" regime. The West was denounced by the "revolutionaries" on the basis of its depravity, allowing women to run around in all sorts of provocative clothing.
It's true, of course: women in the West do run around in all sorts of provocative clothing, and standards have inexorably been relaxing more and more over time.
My question is, what exactly constitutes depravity here? Which is the more depraved society--the one in which women can run around in sexy clothing without fear of molestation or one in which women must shroud themselves in black robes and veils to protect themselves from the lusts of the men?
In a strange way, the permissive attire of the West attests to a remarkable level of restraint on the part of its citizenry. I certainly wouldn't argue that a woman in provocative (or for that matter modest) attire is safe in every conceivable circumstance in this country, but the level of safety is remarkable even by our own past standards. After all, in the U.S. a century ago, a glimpse even of a woman's ankle or calf was titillating and scandalous.
Read More By Richard Smoley Here!]]>I'm really happy to have been able to view and review The Atheism Tapes. This two-DVD set presents itself as the "leftovers" of the "Brief History of Disbelief", which included interviews from Dennett, Dawkins, Arthur Miller, etc. But in reality this is far more than the set of "deleted scenes".
What is presented in The Atheism Tapes are jewels of knowledge -- rare and valuable. To say I learned something is an understatement, as each speaker presented an interesting view of the world and how religion & Atheism play their respective roles. The fact that they are further helping the Cause with this promotion is a cherry on top.
I loved this DVD, and I'm sure to watch it over and over again.
]]>Perhaps because I am again in the midst of teaching a permaculture course, I find myself thinking about dirt. What is more sacred than the living soil? That matrix of life, the complex underground ecosystem that grows our food. Soil rich in organic matter is a whole world of microorganisms, fungi, bacteria, insects, worms, roots minerals all interacting in a web of relationships that sustains life.
And yet how we denigrate the earth that feeds us! Anything that pertains to earth and ground--‘soiled’, ‘low’, ‘dirty’—is an insult. “High”, “Light”, “celestial”—the unearthly and disembodied are all positive terms.
Read more here...
Goodbye Albert!
This Sunday Night, May 11, 7:30 pm
at The Wild Project
195 East 3rd Street
New York NY 10009
Contribution: $10
I felt like my life had come full circle. After years of internal wrestling, nearly completely rejecting any sense of faith and often utterly disbelieving my past experience of personal connection with God, things began to come together for me. I had finally begun a process of recovery. Over the past several years, the process of coming out as a gay man had often left me empty, confused, and sometimes quite terrified. Still, I continued to wrestle. The decision to come out was made with a relentless commitment to one primary thing: I would tell the truth.
As the scattered pieces of my inner experience slowly began to take shape, and the confusion began to settle, I finally began to really know myself. At last, I was again energized with passion and excitement. As long as I can remember, I have always been motivated to share my experiences and understanding with others. Often that has been misdirected, premature, and distorted by my own denials and lack of personal insight. In the past, the truth I had stood for was often adopted from others, rather than from my own experience. How liberating it was to realize that the only truth I have to offer is my own true story! I have nothing to prove! I only have a story to tell. Perhaps all that anyone really has is their own true story.
Read more here...]]>
]]>
Albert Hofmann passed away Tuesday April 29th at his hilltop home near Basel, Switzerland at the age of 102. He discovered lysergic acid diethylamide, popularly known as LSD, in a Swiss lab in 1938. The New York Times writes:
Dr. Hofmann first synthesized the compound lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938 but did not discover its psychopharmacological effects until five years later, when he accidentally ingested the substance that became known to the 1960s counterculture as acid.
He then took LSD hundreds of times, but regarded it as a powerful and potentially dangerous psychotropic drug that demanded respect. More important to him than the pleasures of the psychedelic experience was the drug’s value as a revelatory aid for contemplating and understanding what he saw as humanity’s oneness with nature. That perception, of union, which came to Dr. Hofmann as almost a religious epiphany while still a child, directed much of his personal and professional life.
Alive Mind honors Dr. Hofmann’s contributions to science and twentieth century culture. We are pleased to release Hofmann's Potion, an uncensored history of LSD, from its accidental discovery by Dr. Hofmann to its prohibition by the U.S. government in 1966.
Initially LSD was hailed as a powerful tool to treat alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide a window into schizophrenia and other mental illnesses. While researchers were establishing the medical benefits of LSD, others - like author Aldous Huxley - promoted the drug as a powerful tool for mental exploration and self-understanding. At Harvard, Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Ram Dass (then known as Richard Alpert) became popular heroes after the university cancelled their research project into psychedelics.
Featuring interviews with many LSD pioneers, such as Albert Hofmann, Timothy Leary, Aldous & Laura Huxley, Ram Dass, Humphry Osmond, Ralph Metzner, Duncan Blewett, Myron Stolaroff, Abram Hoffer and Stanislav Grof, Hofmann's Potion is much more than a simple chronicle of the drug's early days. With its thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, it is an invitation to look at LSD - and our world - with a more open, compassionate mind.
Learn more about the DVD here.
More to come soon from the Alive Mind Team